It's Not About Valentine's Day
by ElusiveSanity
Summary: Emma and Regina have been together for 3 years, and every year, fate forces Emma to stand Regina up on Valentine's Day. This year, things will be different... or will they? For Emma's sake, she better hope fate is on her side. Pre-established SwanQueen fluff. Set after Robin leaves town with Marian, and assumes he never returns. My 1st attempt at OUAT fic.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fic for the OUAT fandom. It was a prompt from Hannah Ray on facebook. Not sure if where this story took me was where she was hoping it would go, but... gotta write what the characters tell me to write! It was meant to be a quick one-shot, but it looks like it'll be about two chapters, as it was just getting to be way too long for one. Be kind with your reviews (and please, do review), I don't have a beta and I'm definitely not used to writing these characters!**

 **This is a SwanQueen fanfic... graphic writing isn't my cup of tea, so this won't be rated M, but fluff is my forte, so there's tons of that.**

 **I don't own any of the characters, not making money off them, please don't sue me. I'll put them back when I'm done playing, I promise.**

* * *

The first rays of light filtered through the curtains as if trying to sear her eyeballs through her eyelids. Regina rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. It was Sunday, her teenaged son and questionably adult girlfriend would likely sleep till noon thirty, so there was no reason for her to get up at the crack of dawn today.

Speaking of girlfriend… it was kind of chilly in the bedroom, and her partner always seemed to have this internal heat source that was just what she needed. She reached out to the other side of the bed with the intent of latching on and cuddling up close, but her hand felt nothing but empty space. She felt around pointlessly for a few seconds before lifting her head and glaring at the offending empty space. Lifting her upper body up onto her arms, she half turned to check the bathroom. The door was open and the light was off.

Fully sitting up in bed now, she brushed her hair back away from her face with both hands and looked around. She noticed the closet door was left slightly ajar, something she had barely learned to tolerate early on in their relationship, allowing herself to accept defeat in that particular battle. The younger woman did, at least, keep everything else neat and tidy to her liking.

Climbing out of bed and shivering slightly at the chill, she pulled on a thick fluffy robe over her silk pajamas and slid her feet into Emma's ridiculous Minion slippers. They were already by the door, she would argue, if she was caught actually wearing them. Opening the bedroom door, she stood in the doorway for a moment listening for any telltale signs of life in the house, but all was silent except for the light sound of the furnace running, and Henry's loud snoring muffled by his closed door.

Trying her robe tighter around her, she padded down the staircase and into the kitchen. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was still in the air, and she noticed the pot still half full with an empty mug waiting beside it. Sighing, she walked over to pour herself a cup of the still-hot coffee when she noticed the note underneath the mug. Abandoning the coffee for now, she leaned against the kitchen island to read Emma's scribbled handwriting.

 _Morning babe,_

Regina rolled her eyes before she even read any farther. Emma new how much she hated pet names, and that one in particular was one of the more irritating offenders. Which, of course, was exactly why Emma chose to use it every chance she could.

 _I'm sorry, I got called into work. I know I promised not to work at all today, but David swore it was it was an emergency. Considering even he wasn't supposed to be on duty today, I can only imagine the shit storm I'm about to walk into. I'll text you when I find out what's going on. And I promise… ogres be damned, I will not ditch you again this year._

 _See you tonight at 7 sharp._

 _Love,_

 _The sexiest sheriff you know_

She tried her hardest not to smirk at her lover's childish humor, but her lips betrayed her. Regina sighed as she set the letter back down on the counter and went back to fixing her coffee. Ogres… well, it wouldn't be the first time they ruined her Valentine's Day.

She thought back to their first year together. Still unsure, still a little hesitant. It was Regina who had planned the date, not trusting Emma to come up with anything suitable. Reservations at the best restaurant only the Mayor herself could get last minute. A private table at the restaurant, at that, after calling in a few favors and maybe… maybe adding a threat or two. But of course, their lives never went as planned, and on that particular day, it was the ogres that ruined everything. Regina had shown up at the restaurant and waited for over an hour for the sheriff to show, only to leave angry, humiliated, and alone. She had been drowning her emotions in cider for several hours by the time the knock on the front door came. Not even bothering to hide the tear tracks on her cheeks, Regina had yanked opened the door, prepared to verbally hit the sheriff with everything she had, but the image in front of her had stopped her short.

Emma had stood on her door step, her blonde hair filthy and matted with blood on one side. Blood that also ran down her left cheek. Her favorite leather jacket was torn on the sleeve, and Regina noted she was holding the arm close to her chest. All of the anger and sadness seemed to flood out of her instantly, replaced with worry and concern. Emma was too focused on the ground in front of her to see the emotions flutter across her girlfriend's face. All the sheriff could think to say was, "I'm sorry I stood you up. But I can explain everything, I swear."

And explain she did. After, of course, Regina had healed the still-bleeding cuts and bruises, and took her to the emergency room for x-rays of her wrist and ankle.

Sighing once more, Regina pushed off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, praying to the higher powers of the universe that it wasn't an ogre revolt again. Regardless, there was no going back to sleep for her, and Henry wouldn't be up for another several hours, so she might as well get some work done while she waited for the news.

Detouring back to her bedroom to retrieve her message-less cell phone, she carried it back to her study with her now-cooled coffee. Setting the mug and phone down on the desk, she yawned and rubbed her tired eyes as she blindly opened her laptop. When she finally looked at the screen, she found a yellow sticky note attached to the screen. Pulling it off, she tilted it to read by the sunlight now brightly streaming in through her office window.

 _Open the bottom right drawer._

Her eyes narrowed at the writing. The bottom right drawer of her desk was always kept locked, and not by a key, but by magic. She reached down and tugged at the handle, and was unsurprised when it didn't budge. Blinking a few times in confusion, she waved her hand in front of it, feeling the tingle of magic flow through her hand, before tugging on the handle again. This time, the drawer slid open easily to reveal a well-wrapped package. Pulling the rectangular box out, she inspected the obvious professional wrapping job before picking up her cell phone to send a quick text.

 _Somebody has been practicing her magic. Do I need to start cursing my desk to turn you into an actual swan the next time you tamper with it?_

Smiling at the mental image despite her quickly dissipating irritation, she went to work opening the package.

XXXXXXXX

Emma had just pulled up next to David's truck when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pulling it out, she smiled before sending a quick reply.

 _I'm surprised you're only noticing now, considering that secret stash of chocolate you keep in there has been slowly dwindling and being replaced for months._ _Did you open the box?_

She chuckled to herself, imagining the look of outrage on Regina's face, before reluctantly turning off her car and stepping out into the frigid cold. There was another buzz in her pocket before she even shut the car door.

 _Is nothing sacred anymore? :- (_

The angry face emoticon attached to the end of the message did nothing but make Emma laugh out loud. And then:

 _As far as the dress, I'm touched that you at least pay attention to my preference in designers. As for the rest, you're being quite presumptuous for someone who skipped out on morning brunch._

Emma typed as she walked up to the station, almost running right into the door before remembering to open it.

 _What? You mean I shaved above the knee this morning for nothing?_

She shoved her phone back into her pocket as she reached her office. David was seated at his desk, his head in his hands hiding his face.

"So… what's the big emergency?"

She watched her father's shoulders lift in a heavy sigh before lifting his head to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do but to call you. Ruby's in the interrogation room with them now. She's… communicating with them, at least."

"With who?" Emma asked, looking backwards down the hallway. "What the hell are you talking about?"

David stood up and patted her shoulder as he walked by. "Follow me, Ems, and see for yourself.

Emma felt the phone buzz in her pocket but she ignored it, too curious and focused on what was obviously stressing the deputy out. They stopped in front of the interrogation room and stared through the window.

"Well… I don't really think I need to explain much here." David said glumly.

Emma stared slack jawed into the room. Three boys, she'd guess about thirteen or so, were on their hands and knees acting like… well, like dogs. One was sniffing the floor incessantly, the second was attempting to itch his head with his leg, and the third was huddled in the corner looking, for all the world, like a lost puppy.

"What… in the actual fuck… is going on?" Emma asked.

David rubbed his face in exhaustion. "Well, since the fairies were already up for daily mass, I called them first. Blue said she suspects a love potion gone wrong."

"Love potion." Emma repeated dubiously. She rubbed the back of her neck as she watched Ruby get the attention of all three of them, but she couldn't hear what she was saying through the glass. Probably some sort of dog-speak she wouldn't understand anyway. "A love potion that turns kids into dogs?"

"Puppy love," David supplied, helpfully clicking a few of the mental pieces in place. "One of the kids' friends admitted they had found a love spell in an old book in the library. It apparently said if they drank whatever potion they brewed up, it would make their crushes fall in love with them. Clearly… things didn't work out so well for them."

Emma leaned her forehead against the glass and squeezed her eyes shut. "And why did you think to call me? What the hell am I supposed to do to help?"

David shrugged. "Blue seemed certain the spell would wear off… eventually. But how long it would take she wasn't sure. I was hoping that with your magic, you'd be able to maybe help…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish. He and Snow were generally against Emma using magic, although they knew Regina had always been working with her to develop her skills. It was useful in emergencies, they both acknowledged, but the idea of using it for minor things scared them both just a bit, afraid of the seductive power it might hold.

Emma sighed and shook her head. "I have no idea what to do here. Honest. If I even tried, I'd probably be more likely to turn them into actual dogs than help them."

David shoved his hands in his pockets, looking defeated. "Do you think - "

"No," Emma cut him off.

"But…"

"No," she repeated. "I'm already breaking my promise to her by being here. I'm not going to ask her to help."

"What do you want me to tell their parents then?" David argued. "That the savior gave up, and they just have to hope they're housebroken?"

Emma huffed and stomped back down the hall, not much caring if her father followed her, though she could hear his footsteps not far behind her. "I don't really give a damn," she admitted, dropping down into her desk chair like a petulant child. "Tell them the truth. Their kids are idiots. They can choose to accept that, or face the wrath of the Evil Queen. Which, I can promise you if I fuck up yet another Valentine's Day, will be the most likely result."

"Emma," David growled disapprovingly. "They're just kids."

"Yeah?" Emma's voice rose in anger. "And it was 'just kids' that ruined last year's Valentine's Day, if you care to remember. So that's two strikes against me for this shit holiday. I have no times for games this year."

"Those weren't kids, they were twenty-somethings," David corrected. "And we're lucky Gold didn't feel the need for immediate retribution for the damages done to his shop." He plopped down in his own desk chair, rubbing his face in frustration. "And you know darn well I'm risking my own hide being here, too. I haven't even had a chance to get your mother a gift yet. If anything, my life is in greater danger than yours today, sweetheart"

Emma let out a frustrated growl as she leaned her elbows on her desk, both hands tangled tightly in her hair. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket again, and this time pulled it out to read the messages. The first one, in all its sarcastic Regina glory, reluctantly made her smile.

 _Be still my beating heart. Your romantic effort is astounding._

Little do you know, Emma thought to herself, before reading the most recent message.

 _Everything ok?_

Emma chewed her bottom lip, trying to decide her course of action. Realizing there wasn't really much of an option, she typed back a response.

 _I'm fine, but I need your help here at the station. We have a minor magical issue I'm not sure I'm qualified to handle._

She didn't have to wait long for the response.

 _When you say minor…_

Emma sighed, and steeled herself for the inevitable.

 _I mean literally and figuratively._

She didn't get a text response, but she didn't need one. She knew her ass was done for in about 15 minutes.

XXXXX

As luck would have it, the morning Valentine's day breakfast crowd mixed with the minor church-going crowd slowed her majesty's arrival to 18 minutes. Emma and David were sitting in silence at their desks, the sheriff wondering how many weeks worth of celibacy she was doomed to, her father still trying to figure out a last minute gift for her mother. Emma had to admit she was probably in the better boat. At least she had gotten Regina's gift a month ago. She kept it in the glove box of her bug. It was the one place she knew the older woman would never find it.

They looked at each other in confusion when they heard the footsteps coming down the hall. They weren't accompanied by the clicking of the mayor's normal stiletto heels, but the slightly squeaky sound of sneakers on freshly waxed tile. Emma turned her head in time to watch Regina stroll confidently into the room, despite her odd state of dress. Her hair was still damp from a shower, the parts that had air-dried were beginning to frizz in to her natural curl. She was also wearing the yoga pants and pink Floyd t-shirt Emma had worn around the house the night before and discarded beside the bed. She was also pretty sure the older woman had also not even bothered with a bra, and those shoes were definitely their son's. Aside from the heavy wool pea coat she was wearing open, nothing about the image of Regina in front of them was normal.

Regina stared at the father-daughter duo in front of her as if they were complete idiots. Which, in her opinion, well… some things were often hereditary.

"Is someone going to explain to me what the hell I'm doing here?"

Blinking, Emma focused on Regina's irritated face and forcefully pulled her mind out of the gutter the image of the mayor wearing her clothes had dropped it into. She cleared her throat and stood up, hesitantly taking her lover's arm and leading her down another hallway. David, she noticed, had stayed prudently behind.

"I'm sorry to ask you to come. You know I wouldn't have if I thought I could handle it, but…" they had stopped in front of the interrogation room, where the three dog-boys were now fighting over one of the "say no to drugs" plastic Frisbees the sheriff's department handed out to kids every year at the school. "As you can see…"

"This is what constituted as an emergency, Ms. Swan?"

Emma winced. The mayor's tone was harsh, and the last name drop was even worse. Regina only pulled out the "Ms. Swan" card when Emma was really, really in trouble. Pretty much the same way she pulled out Henry's middle name in that universal pissed off parent way.

"Honestly, that's what I argued," Emma sighed. "But David said the fairies didn't know how long the spell would last, and being a Charming, he just couldn't dare to let the poor brats or their parents suffer, so he called me in to see if I could do something about it. I sure as hell don't know what to do, so…" she shrugged in defeat. "I called in my personal master of all things magical," she muttered under her breath.

Regina let her fidget for several long moments before sighing in resignation. "I suppose… I could look through my spell book for some sort of reversal potion. That is what I assume started all this mess, correct?"

Emma nodded, looking down at her feet as if this was somehow her fault. "Some sort of love potion the kids found in a library book."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to have a word with Ms. French about the kinds of books she's keeping in the library." Without another word, Regina turned and started back down the hallway, Emma ironically following her like a scolded puppy.

She walked the older woman all the way out to her Mercedes, even opening the door for her, but Regina didn't slide into the car. Instead, she just stood there staring at Emma, her neutral politician look plastered on her face.

Emma's jaw worked back and forth as she tried to figure out what to say.

Finally, it was Regina who broke the silence. "Am I being an irrational bitch?"

 _Yes_. "No," Emma assured her, giving her what she hoped was a warm smile.

"Don't lie to me, Ms. Swan," Regina warned, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Mayor Mills," Emma responded. She reached out for Regina's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I promise. You, me, 7 pm sharp, no matter what. It's barely 10 am, we have plenty of time to save the day. I really wanted to spend the entire day with you. I actually had all these ridiculously romantic things planned to do with you, which… Hey, don't give me that look. I'm serious. I started planning them February 15th of last year. So trust me, I'm just as pissed off as you. It seems this stupid town is bound and determined to destroy our ridiculously happy Valentine's Day ending. So go home, change out of my clothes because you're simply not cool enough to wear Pink Floyd, and I'll meet you in your vault in an hour to help you look."

Regina scoffed in mock offense. "Excuse me? You weren't even _born_ when this album dropped. And you will _not_ meet me anywhere. The last time you were in my vault, you broke an entire shelf of potions. I've already Emma-proofed it with an anti-savior curse, so you can't go in there ever again." She pointed her finger at said savior's chest to enunciate her point.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Grandma. I forgot you technically qualify for social secur- Ouch!" Emma pulled her scorched hand out of Regina's grasp and blew on it. "I was only joking." She pouted as she shook her hand, trying to alleviate the pain. It was red and burned, as if she had a sunburn on her palm. "And for the hundredth time, that was _not_ my fault. You were busy trying on all your old Evil Queen gowns and I got distracted."

"It's not my fault you have the attention span of a potato." Regina crossed her arms across her chest and put a stern expression on her face. She didn't really mean to burn Emma's hand, but… she certainly _had_ deserved it, using that particular word, which she _knew_ was a sure-fire way to piss off the aforementioned Evil Queen… but she wasn't about to apologize, though she did feel bad. Some things would never change. "You're not going. Go… do your job, _Sheriff._ Try to find that stupid book those kids found and see if maybe it has a reversal spell in it."

Emma sighed dramatically, but she nodded in agreement. It was actually exactly what she should be doing anyway. "Fine. Whatever her majesty wants, her majesty gets."

Regina's sudden laugh was light and teasing as she reached for Emma's hand once more and pulled her close. "You remember you said that tonight, Emma," she nearly purred into her ear, making sure the timbre of her voice left no doubt as to what she was referring to. As Emma's cheeks flushed red, her hand was feeling cool and tingly. Satisfied with the result, Regina kissed the blonde's cheek before letting her hand go and sliding into the driver's seat of her Mercedes, unable to hide the slightly evil smirk on her lips.

Emma cleared her throat and stepped back. Not one to simply bow out in defeat at this particular game they liked to play, she plastered an award-winning smile on her face. "Oh, don't worry babe, I won't let you down." She shut the door before Regina could retaliate and blew her a somewhat sarcastic kiss through the window; only then realizing her hand had been healed.

A raised eyebrow was her only answer before the mayor drove off, leaving Emma standing on the sidewalk trying to decide what to do next.

XXXXXX

"Come on, kid. Don't play games with me," Emma nearly growled at the boy standing in front of the bookshelf.

"I'm not, I promise!" The twelve-year-old boy, Evan, was frantically searching the titles on the shelf. "We left it right here! It was right here, but it's not anymore!"

"Okay, okay, calm down" Emma huffed in frustration. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around at the dusty books. None of them seemed to have been touched in years.

"I just checked the return cart, it's not on there either," Belle proclaimed as she appeared around the end of the bookshelf. "I swear, Emma, I would never knowingly keep spell books in the library." The brunette stood nervously wringing her hands.

"It wasn't a spell book," Evan said, sounding irritated. "We were trying to pick one of the classics to do our literature project on. It was in an old copy of _Journey to the Center of the Earth_. We only needed it as a reference. We were just going to cheat and watch the movie." He blushed at his admission and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "We found the spell folded up and shoved somewhere in the middle of the book."

Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. The spell could have been from anywhere, put there by anyone. It was probably one of those things passed along by kids as some sort of ridiculous right of passage. And the book? These particular idiots were probably not the first group of kids who thought about cheating with the movie. Chances are, someone else had checked it out already.

Belle, it seemed, was thinking along the same lines as her. "I'll look and see who may have checked it out."

"Don't bother," Emma told her. "We're not going to find anything useful in it." She turned her attention to the kid. "Where is the spell now?"

Evan shrugged. "I don't know. My papa warned me about magic. I wasn't about to mess with it. I'm not sure which one of them took it with them."

"Okay," Emma said, pinching the bridge of her nose. It was already noon. These kids were getting on her very last nerve. Why couldn't this little doofus have told her what book they found it in before they even came here? She took a deep breath and counted to ten. "Let's get you home," she finally said. "I have a few phone calls to make."

XXXXXX

Four hours later, none of the parents had found the original spell. Without it, Regina wasn't sure the potion she created would work, but it was the best she could come up with. She carefully set the glass bottle of pink liquid in front of the sheriff.

Emma watched the liquid inside slowly bubble up at the top. It reminded her of the weird pink slime in the Ghostbusters movie and she scrunched up her nose. "Tell me you at least made it bubble gum flavored."

Regina snorted and took a seat in the guest chair across from her. "Of course not. How do you plan on getting the little monsters to drink it anyway?"

Emma noted she had changed into her usual black slacks with a red blouse. She briefly wondered if the color choice was on purpose for the holiday.

"Pour it into a bowl and let them lap it up?" Emma supplied. "That's how we got them to eat lunch." She picked up the bottle of potion, holding it as far away from her as she could. "I guess we should get this over with."

With a look of disgust, Regina followed Emma down the dark hallway. "If this doesn't work," the mayor grumbled, "we're done. That's it. We let the spell wear off like the fairies said."

Emma nodded in silent agreement. She was definitely so over this shit. They stopped at the end of the hall and looked through the glass of the interrogation room, but it was empty.

In an instant, Emma was panicking. She opened the door, verifying no one was in the room. A door opened down the hall and Ruby stepped out, wiping her damp hands on her pants.

"Oh, hey guys. You got the potion stuff?" Ruby asked, completely oblivious.

"Ruby!" Emma nearly shouted. "Where the hell are the kids?"

Ruby froze in place, looking towards the interrogation room, but she was too far down the hall to see in. "What do you mean?"

Emma could feel the magical energy flowing from Regina. Or maybe that was her own magic reacting to the situation. "Ruby… the kids… they're not in the interrogation room. Where are they?"

Ruby stared wide-eyed at the two women. Regina's face was murderous, and Emma's was in a state of pure panic. "I… I don't know! I had to use the bathroom. I… I didn't think to lock the door!"

From the corner of her eye, Emma could see Regina turn to glare at her. Slowly, bravely, she turned to meet her gaze.

Nothing needed to be said. The anger, sadness, frustration, and most of all, resignation… Emma could see all of it in her lover's eyes.

"I'll see you at home," she said, before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

Emma stood in place, watching the smoke slowly disappear. She could feel herself literally being torn in two. She wanted to chase after Regina. She wanted to forget the whole ordeal, let someone else save the world for a change. But she knew she couldn't. She was the sheriff and the magical savior. And today, her job absolutely sucked.

XXXXXX

It was getting dark, and with that, a lot colder. Emma zipped her heavy sheriff's jacket up higher as she leaned against a thick tree. She pulled out her cell phone to check the time.

5:30 pm. No messages.

She could hear several voices echoing through the woods, calling the boys' names. The parents had been told to stay at home in case the kids returned, while a search party was put together. Most of the volunteers were single high school students, eager to forget about the stupid holiday. Emma's brother had been left with Granny, and David and Snow were driving around town in separate cars.

"Any news?" Henry asked, coming up behind her.

Emma shook her head. "No. Have you heard from your mom?"

Henry checked his phone, before shaking his own head. "Maybe you should just go."

"You know I can't do that, kid."

"Sure you can," Henry insisted. "One less person out here isn't going to hurt."

"I wish I could, Henry." Emma said sadly as she pulled out her flashlight and began walking again. "But I have a job to do. A job your mom actually pays me to do. It's my job to protect t his town, and all of its idiotic citizens. Especially kids, who are out here without coats, possibly lost in the dark. That's really dangerous."

As if to prove her point further, it started to rain.

"Look," Henry said. "You have lots of jobs here. You're the sheriff, sure. And the savior, of course. But you're also a mom, right? And you're a… well, you're my mom's partner. You have a job to keep her happy, too."

Emma stopped again to turn and look at her son.

"Not that you don't do a good job at all of those things!" He quickly amended, lifting his hands in the air. "It's just… I know this is your guys' anniversary, even though you pretend to keep that a secret."

Emma feigned outrage. "How the hell did you know that? Did she tell you?"

Henry just rolled his eyes and stepped past her. "No. Nobody told me anything. I'm just not one of these village idiots you keep mentioning." He looked back to give her an accusing look. "So from what I understand, you keep standing up my mom on your anniversary. I don't know what she sees in you," he said, shaking his head dramatically. He laughed when he felt his mom smack the back of his head.

"Put your hood up," Emma scolded him, not bothering to follow her own advice. She wanted to be able to hear every sound. "And I've never stood up your mom. Shit just always seems to happen to prevent us from celebrating."

"So you put everyone else first, except for her," Henry responded.

Emma stopped in her tracks. She stared at her son who walked several more feet before realizing he was walking alone. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"You're right," Emma answered. Her eyes tracked down to the leafy ground. She blinked a few raindrops out of her eyelashes. At least, that's what she was claiming them to be. "I never put her first. It's always you, or the town, or…" Her voice trailed off as the situation fully processed in her mind. She finally looked up to meet Henry's eyes. "I can't do this. I have to fix this."

Henry rolled his eyes. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"No, I mean…" Emma paused to take a steadying breath. "I'll be back. I have to make a few phone calls and there's not enough service out here. Keep looking, and call me on the walkie talkie if you need me," she said, pointing to the heavy device she forced him to carry on his hip. She didn't wait for him to answer. She turned around and ran towards the road.

XXXXXXXX

Regina glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was 8:25, and no sign of Emma. She looked down at the cell phone on her lap once more. The screen was still dark and cracked.

She gritted her teeth and threw the device across the room once more. It had already broken the first time, so who cared if it broke even more? The shattering sound it made was satisfying.

She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to drink. No. This she wanted to be completely sober and angry for. Henry had texted over an hour ago that they had found the kids. So where the hell was Emma? Why hadn't she heard from _her_?

She stood up and began pacing the room. The blonde was notorious for this. It didn't matter what day of the year it was, or what ridiculous situation arose. Emma was always there to save the day. The rational part of her understood that this was her job. The mom part of her knew she wouldn't have let her stop if it was Henry. But that was all beside the point. Why had she left that stupid wolf slut in charge?

She could feel the magic flowing just under her skin, as it always did when she was upset. She had much better control of it these days, but sometimes… sometimes she wished she could just let it out. It felt good to let it out. A physical release that left behind that addicting feeling of power and pleasure.

She stormed out of her bedroom and towards the stairs. A picture on the wall, though, caught her eye. It was a picture of the three of them together on the pier two summers ago. Archie, who had been walking Pongo, had taken the photo for them. All three of them had happy smiles on their faces as they looked at the camera.

The wetness on Regina's cheek caught her off guard, and for some reason, it made her angrier. She had promised herself not to cry. She stomped down the stairs and stared at the front door, willing her lover to walk through it.

After standing there for five straight minutes, she started to feel a bit ridiculous. Sitting down on the steps instead, she leaned against the banister and this time, allowed the tears to come.

* * *

 **I know this may be an odd place to have cut the chapter off, but... I promise, everything will come together and behavior will start making sense :)**


	2. Chapter 2

It was 9:15, and Emma knew she was dead meat. She stood in front of the door, legitimately terrified to open it up. She looked down at herself and sighed. She was covered in mud, her clothes soaked through with rain. This just wouldn't do.

Concentrating hard on the outfit she had hidden in the back of the closet, she felt the surge of power tingling across her skin, and when she opened her eyes, gold smoke was starting to dissipate into the air. She looked down at her new outfit. A black skirt with a new, red silk blouse. She lightly touched her hair, and could feel it dry and curled perfectly.

"Not bad, Swan" she muttered to herself. If Regina wasn't bound to be so pissed, she was sure she'd be pretty damn proud. Emma sighed and steeled herself for the inevitable. Instead of opening the door however, she pressed the door bell.

It took a few minutes before the door was opened, and several things were obvious. The first was that Regina looked perfect. She was still wearing the new red dress Emma had bought her, and my _God_ , did she look amazing in it. Second, she wasn't drunk, as Emma had found her last year. The last, and most dangerous thing, was that she was really, really pissed off.

"Nice of you to show up, Ms. Swan. But you're quite a bit too late." She slammed the door, leaving Emma standing there in somewhat less shock than would be expected otherwise.

If, in fact, Emma was "too late", Regina wouldn't still be dressed and ready for their date. At least, that's what Emma told herself. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, half surprised when it wasn't locked.

"Regina!" she called, but the only response was silence. She walked through the house, peaking into each room on the first floor before finally making her way up the stairs. The bedroom door was shut, and this time, it was locked.

"Regina… I'm sorry. If you just let me explain…"

"You don't get to explain, Emma! Not this time!" Regina screamed through the door. Emma heard something crash inside the room and winced.

"My phone died!" Emma yelled back, smacking her hand against the door frame in frustration. "Three kids were lost in the woods, in the dark, in the freaking rain! What did you want me to do?"

"Leave the little bastards out there!" Regina screamed. "Why are they your problem?"

Another crash, which actually sounded more like an explosion, and Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest. This, right here, was an evil queen tantrum. Regina wasn't thinking straight, at this point. She could walk in there and fight back, or she can sit down here in the hallway and hope the woman cooled off. Choosing the latter, he leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor, her head thumping back against the wood.

"I love you!" she tried hopefully, but that just earned her an electric shock through the door, which threw her body across the floor. "I still love you!" she shouted, though a bit sarcastically. Wincing, she scooted over to sit against a wall which was in no way attached to their bedroom… just in case.

She closed her eyes, desperately trying to figure out what she should do. This whole Valentine's Day thing was absurd, though Henry was right, it wasn't really about the holiday so much as it was about their sort-of anniversary.

 _It was three years ago to the day, when Emma showed up on the mayor's door step holding several paper grocery bags._

" _Ms. Swan? What on Earth are you doing here?" the brunette asked in a haughty tone._

 _Emma didn't even wait to be invited in. She just pushed past the woman and headed straight for the kitchen. "Well, it's Valentine's Day, and I absolutely despise Valentine's day. And, truthfully, I suspect you do, too." She had already started to unpack the contents of the bags onto the counter when the mayor appeared in the doorway, arms crossed in front of her and a very dangerous look on her face. "So, I thought we'd have an anti-valentine's day evening together, full of movies, ice cream, alcohol, and a possible ritualistic burning of something belonging to the men who ditched us." Emma had rushed that last part out with a small smirk, knowing the whole Robin Hood leaving the town with his wife Marian was still probably a touchy subject… especially when it was almost entirely her fault._

 _Regina just stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "And why the hell would I want to do that?_

 _Emma returned her look with her own innocent stare. "Because my mother is babysitting our son, we're both alone on this depressing fake holiday, and we're kinda sorta friends now, so…" She lifted a container of ice cream. "Henry said you liked Rocky Road. And I brought dinner from Granny's."_

 _When Regina didn't respond, she continued. "I brought a bunch of DVDs to choose from, too." She pulled out the first movie and held it up to the brooding woman._

 _Regina raised a well-shaped eyebrow. "City of Angels? Really?"_

 _Emma shrugged. "It's a love story with an unhappy ending. Something I figured we both could relate to…"_

" _And how exactly is a romance of any type 'anti-valentine's day'?"_

 _Emma smiled, realizing she was winning. "Right. Well, since I know you better than you care to admit, I brought options." She pulled out a box set of DVDs and placed them on the counter. "The Aliens trilogy. Science fiction, horror, definitely not a romance, and has a badass female lead."_

 _When Regina simply continued to just stare at her, Emma shrugged again. "I didn't think you'd be a Terminator person."_

 _That finally did it. A hint of a smile crossed the mayor's face. "Why, Ms. Swan, you're a closet nerd, aren't you?"_

 _Emma shook her head gravely. "No, ma'am, I don't live in that particular closet. I'm an open super nerd." As if to prove her point, she pulled out a pair of glasses from a leather case and slid them on her face. She blushed slightly at the amused look on the mayor's face. "I'm out of contacts," she explained. "So unless all I want to see on the screen are moving blobs of unfocused color…"_

 _Regina walked up to Emma and stood right in front of her, her eyes never leaving her face. Trying to read whether she was being played, Emma assumed. Evidently the mayor was convinced the blonde was being completely genuine, because without a word, she took the pint of ice cream from the counter, grabbed a spoon from the drawer, and turned to walk into the living room._

 _Emma glanced over the containers of dinner spread over the island. "Huh. Guess it's that kind of night, then." She grabbed her own pint of Moose Tracks, the box set of DVDs, and followed the brunette into the living room._

And that… was how it all started. Sort of. The details were starting to get a little fuzzy in Emma's mind. At some point about halfway through the first film (and a good amount of cider) they were sharing their ice cream, Regina never having tried Moose Tracks, and Emma winning some sort of equal rights to ice cream argument. Dinner was actually eaten towards the end of the second film. By the end of the trilogy (and the cider), Regina had at some point changed into her pajamas, Emma into a pair of Henry's old sweats, and they were sharing a blanket spread out over the couch. Regina's head was laying against the arm rest, with her feet up on Emma's lap, while Emma was slouched, with her socked feet propped up on the coffee table (surprisingly without any glares from the former queen).

 _Emma yawned as the credits started rolling._

" _Was it just me," Regina mumbled, "or was she holding that thing that just busted through her gut a little too maternally there at the end?"_

 _Emma looked at her in surprise. "Seriously? You saw that too? I used to watch this movie with my foster brother, and he'd always swear I was crazy." She yawned again and turned off the TV. "I should get going. I'm on night shift tonight."_

" _You what?" Regina asked, sitting up in shock. Her hair was tousled and sticking up in odd places on the side she had been laying on. Emma couldn't help but smile._

" _Yeah, I uh… sorta played my "daddy dearest" card and switched with David." She shrugged and stood up, attempting and failing to stifle another yawn._

 _Regina was staring at the coffee table with the strangest look on her face. She visibly shook her head as if clearing her foggy mind and stood up, tossing the blanket haphazardly over the back of the couch. "Well, then. Go change and I'll make you some coffee to go, Sheriff."_

 _By the time Emma had reappeared downstairs, Regina was pouring the coffee into a travel mug. Emma sat down on the stairs to slide into her boots before standing up and hopping a couple of times to settle everything. Checking that her badge, cuffs, and gun were still fastened securely, she pulled on her heavy leather jacket and zipped it halfway._

" _Here you go," Regina said, handing the blonde the stainless steel mug and pretending like she hadn't just been standing there watching her in the doorway._

 _Emma gave her a warm smile. "Thanks. I have a feeling I'll be needing it. David already texted that he has Leroy locked up for the night. It's gonna be an awesome night."_

" _I wish you would have told me you had to work tonight," Regina scolded, though her tone was only half convincing._

 _Emma fumbled with her keys. "I work tonight because I wanted to do this. It was… nice, having a friend. Someone who actually understands, you know?"_

 _Regina watched her fidget for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Yes… I know," she admitted quietly._

" _Well… I'll see you around then," Emma said, several awkward moments later._

 _She opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. It was colder than she expected, and she quickly zipped her jacket up the rest of the way. Regina stood in the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around her body in an attempt to stay warm. She watched as Emma jogged down the steps and sauntered down the walkway towards her hideous car._

 _She was calling out to the blonde before she had even gotten halfway. Emma turned, her head tilted slightly in question as she slowly walked back up to the porch._

 _Regina was looking anywhere but Emma. "Thank you," she finally said. "For… tonight." She hoped it was too dark for the sheriff to notice the blush burning her cheeks. How much of that damn cider had she drunk? Now that she thought about it, she noticed Emma had stopped a while ago._

 _Emma just stood there on the porch, patiently waiting. It took a while, but finally, the mayor met her gaze. "Anytime," she said quietly, her eyes never straying from the intense gaze of those dark eyes that were suddenly a lot closer than they were before._

 _The air around them crackled with energy, but neither of them moved, both too scared to close the distance._

" _It was… bold of you, to come here today," Regina nearly whispered._

" _Well, I'm nothing if not consistent in my disregard for your persistently feigned hatred of me." Emma smiled, letting her know she was only teasing._

 _Regina's gaze lingered on her mouth a moment longer than necessary before meeting her eyes once more. "Well… maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you were a little bit bold more often."_

 _Emma hesitated another moment, but nodded with a small smile and turned to walk back to her car before she did or said something stupid. She got halfway down the sidewalk again when she suddenly stopped once more._

 _Turning back around, she took a deep breath before walking straight back up to the door, her eyes catching and holding the mayor's gaze. When she got to the door though, she froze, suddenly acutely aware of what she was about to do. Bold. She could be bold._

 _In the end, she wasn't entirely certain who moved first, but it didn't really matter. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, and Emma's free hand had found itself in Regina's hair, while the other woman had a death grip on her jacket. How long it actually lasted was also a mystery, as Emma's brain had shut completely down until she felt the mayor gently push her away. Glancing at Emma's lips once more, Regina took a step backwards and smiled. "Drive carefully, Ms. Swan. The roads might be icy._

 _Not entirely certain what had just transpired between them, Emma just nodded and headed towards her bug, this time making it all the way there and starting the car. She let the engine heat up for a few minutes, and took a sip of her coffee while she waited. Pulling the mug away from her lips, she stared at it curiously. It had to be a coincidence, right? It was the perfect amount of milk and sugar… just the way she liked it._

Emma was brought out of her reverie at the sound of something loud dropping on the floor inside the bedroom.

Bold. She needed to be bold.

Clambering to her feet, she walked over to the bedroom door and waved her hand in front of the doorknob. Regina knew she could unlock the door with magic by now. It was just the principle, Emma supposed. When she heard the click, she grabbed the doorknob and stepped cautiously into the room.

There were things scattered about the floor. Shoes, picture frames… the mirror on the wall over the dresser had been shattered.

"Get out!" Regina shouted, pointing a glowing purple hand towards the door.

"No!" Emma shouted back. When a small red fireball was tossed at her, she caught it easily in her hand. She watched as it turned white in her palm, before closing her fist and absorbing the energy. "Knock it off, Regina."

For her credit, the older woman just stood there glaring at her. Her hands remained at her sides, but her body was literally glowing in purple rage. Her normally chocolate brown eyes had turned completely purple to match the sparks coming from her fingertips. This was Regina reminding herself she wasn't the Evil Queen… trying to reign in her temper.

Emma took a deep breath to calm her own frustration. It was still only 9:30. They had plenty of time, but she had to do this quickly. She walked slowly over to the other woman, maintaining eye contact until she was standing inches away from her.

"Please," Emma whispered. "Let me show you something. But you have to trust me, sweetheart." She waited a moment, but when she received no response, she took that as permission. Carefully, she cupped Regina's face with her hands and slowly leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips.

The energy that passed through them was intense. The uncomfortable tugging in her abdomen left her slightly nauseous, but when she pulled away, the purple in Regina's eyes had faded, replaced with slight confusion.

"Did you just teleport us?" she asked in shock, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be super pissed off at the woman in front of her.

"Huh," Emma said, pretending to look around in shock. "And here I thought you had put an anti-savior curse on the place. You must be losing your touch, your majesty."

Finally realizing where they were, Regina pulled away and looked around. "Why the hell are we in my vault?" Her eyes stopped on a low table, where a single yellow rose lay next to a small white box. Her eyes turned back to meet Emma's. "What is this?"

"This?" Emma gave her a hesitant smile. "This is what I had meant to do all day. Unfortunately, my original plan of sneaking out this afternoon to set everything up had been completely destroyed, so once the kids were found, I had to run all over town to get things ready. I just didn't expect it to take so long, and for that, I truly am sorry." She visibly shivered in the damp coolness of what she lovingly called the "bat cave" these days, and suddenly they were both wearing their heavy wool coats. "Thanks," Emma muttered as she shoved her hands in the pockets. Regina tugged her own coat tighter as she walked over to the table.

Emma cleared her throat, suddenly abnormally shy. "Yellow… it's for friendship. This is the first place you admitted to maybe, kinda, sort of being my friend."

Regina spun the rose in her hand, her back still towards the blonde. A smile crossed her face unwittingly. "If I recall, the only thing I admitted to was not wanting to kill you."

Emma chuckled. "Whatever. That was just your way of saying that we were totally besties."

Regina snorted and picked up the white box. She opened it up to reveal a small silver charm in the shape of… a Volkswagen Beetle. She turned to give her lover a questioning look.

"Oh, shit!" Emma exclaimed, slapping herself in the forehead. "We were supposed to take my damn car, not… magic ourselves here. I left it in my damn glove box."

Suddenly, a longer, rectangular white box appeared in Regina's other hand.

"Oh hey, there it is," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Show off."

Regina smirked as she opened the new box to reveal a solid silver cord bracelet. Emma was there in an instant, pulling it out of the box and sliding it through the charm. "So… this charm, well, my bug is yellow. And I know how fond of it you are."

"You're seriously stretching the definition of 'fond', if you mean wishing it would explode and burn in hell while simultaneously sinking to the bottom of the harbor, never to be seen again."

"Uh, yup. That's exactly what I mean." She clasped the bracelet around Regina's wrist and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Where are we going?" Regina asked suspiciously. "You managed to get us here, but I'm still not sure I trust you to not land us in the middle of Kentucky, unless you plan on walking."

"Oh, ye of little faith," Emma said dramatically. She took Regina's empty hand in hers and entwined their fingers. "Just trust me. I've been practicing with Henry."

"You've been practicing with our son?!" Regina shrieked in outrage, but they had already reappeared at the town line, so her voice echoed eerily through the trees. She blinked, once again surprised. She hadn't been here since Robin left years ago.

"Just relax, please," Emma said softly. She walked over to the town line where in the middle of the street she picked up another rose and box. She handed the rose to Regina first. "White, for new beginnings," she explained. "This is where you gave me my new beginning. My new life, with your memories, as you sacrificed yours." She looked down at the ground and sniffed. "You gave me my son, and you didn't have to," she finished in a whisper, unable to stop the tear that rolled down her cheek.

Regina, too, was crying, and it wasn't lost on her how quickly Emma was able to tame the dragon inside and turn her into a blubbering mess. The blonde opened the box still in her hand and pulled out another charm.

"Henry's birthstone," Emma told her, as she briefly unclasped the chain to slide the new bead on. She looked up and gave the mayor a sad smile before kissing the tear making its way down her cheek.

Regina closed her eyes and gasped at the contact, feeling the familiar pull of being transported at the same time. When she opened her eyes again they were on the docks, the waves still choppy from the earlier rains.

"Do you know why we're here?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "We come here all the time," she responded.

"Yes, we do," Emma acknowledged. She pointed to the bench they normally sit on, where yet another rose and a box rested. Taking Regina's hand, she led her over to the bench, picking up the items before they took a seat side by side. Handing over the rose, she was surprised when Regina spoke up first.

"Lavender for enchantment," the brunette said wistfully.

"And love at first sight," Emma added. She shrugged one shoulder and looked out over the water. "It was the closest I could get to 'when I first realized I was completely in love with you'. That day, when we - "

"Saw the swan," Regina interrupted, finishing her sentence. "In the water, over there." She pointed to the area they saw the bird floating.

Emma blinked and focused her gaze on the woman next to her. "How did you know?" she asked in awe.

Regina was glad the darkness covered her blush. "Because that's exactly when I knew I couldn't deny it anymore. There was no more pretending. Till then, I told myself it would all just pass. It was some sort of phase, or… I don't really know. I was worried that maybe we were both just rebounding. That things between us would just fizzle out one day when you realized what the hell it was you were actually doing and exactly whom you were doing it with."

Emma reached up and tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind the mayor's ear, smiling at the sparkle of her earrings in the moonlight. "What made you finally change your mind?"

Regina shook her head slowly. "The swan, I guess. I don't know. It was like feeling déjà vu, but not. Something inside me just clicked, and I knew… I was where I was supposed to be," they finished in unison.

"Jinx," Emma chuckled as she presented Regina with the next charm. "I think this one is obvious."

Regina took the box from her hand to inspect it closely. It was a charm of two swans facing each other, and… "Are they wearing crowns?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup," Emma verified, working the charm onto the chain. "I told you… it was obvious."

"I think you're diving deep into the realm of cliché," Regina sardonically replied.

Emma shrugged and linked their arms together. "One more stop… are you ready?"

"Please let it be indoors," Regina muttered. "You have me dressed like I work in the red light district, and it's getting pretty freaking cold."

Emma rolled her eyes and gently nudged her side. "What her majesty wants, her majesty gets," she said, repeating her words from earlier.

A moment later they stood in an overly tacky decorated bedroom, with the ugliest wallpaper the former queen had ever seen.

"I was trying to lend you my energy, but how did I know we'd inevitably end up in the worst place in America by accident."

"Oh, knock it off," Emma scolded. "You know exactly where we are."

Regina didn't, actually, but she took a closer look around hoping to catch a clue. "Yeah, um…" she shook her head, not putting it together.

"Maybe this will help…" Emma started, pausing mid-motion. She was about to magically change clothes, but suddenly had a better idea.

Slowly she untucked her blouse from her skirt and began unbuttoning it. The look on Regina's face was one of confusion and desire. She held her gaze as she let her shirt slide off her shoulders and onto the floor. Seconds later, the black skirt followed, leaving her standing in front of the mayor in a white tank top and panties. Kicking off her heels, she walked over to the door and leaned against the frame.

Regina's laugh was low and sultry. "Apples at Granny's," she stated simply.

"Apples at Granny's," Emma confirmed with a smile and nod. She pointed towards the lone dresser across the room. On top of it lay a peach colored rose and, of course, another white box. Regina knew what kind of charm she'd find in it, and when she opened it up, she wasn't disappointed.

"Funny story," Emma said, still leaning against the door. "That's the actual Disney 'Snow White' apple charm."

The slow turn of her head and patented "really?" expression on her face made Emma laugh. "Oh, come on. Have a sense of humor."

Regina raised an eyebrow and held out her arm, waiting for Emma to add the charm. "And what about peach? How does that fit in with my growing collection?"

"Modesty," Emma deadpanned.

Regina laughed loudly this time, her grin threatening to split her face. "Touché. Because answering the door half naked is the epitome of modest."

"Yeah, well…" Emma finished with the bracelet and dropped her hand to the brunette's outer thigh. "It also means desire. And if I'm not mistaken…" she slowly ran her hand up the other woman's leg, dragging the hem of the red dress with her. "I saw a hint of desire in your eyes that day. Oh…" she smirked. "Kinda like that." Emma stared into her lover's darkened eyes before kissing her chastely on the lips.

Taking a step back and lifting her arms, a golden cloud of smoke formed around her and she was suddenly completely dressed again. "Look who's showing off now," Regina drawled. "Even if it did take you three years." The smile and pride in her voice betrayed her sarcasm.

"Come with me," Emma blatantly ignored the jibe, holding out her hand. Regina clasped her roses in her left hand, and took Emma's hand with her other, interlacing their fingers.

"No more transporting today," Emma said, as she led them down the staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by an empty diner. A single table dressed with a white tablecloth and lit by centerpiece candles sat in the middle of the room. The blinds had be closed for privacy, and soft classical music played somewhere in the background.

"What is this?" Regina asked, wondering why the diner wasn't full of dating patrons.

"Bienvenue au Café de Grand-mère."

Regina turned and was completely surprised to see her son, dressed in his best suit, standing by the counter. He had that same grin on his face that Emma wore when she knew she had gotten away with something.

"Well don't we look dapper," she said with that smile reserved just for him. "But don't think I'll forget your involvement in this little scheme."

Henry's grin only grew wider. "It worked, didn't it?" He took their jackets from them and half bowed, motioning towards their table. "After you, ladies."

Emma led Regina around the empty tables and pulled out her chair for her. A vase with a single red rose, a color that needed no explanation, sat in the center of the table next to the candles. Emma took the rest of the flowers from her lover's hand and placed them all in the vase to create a small bouquet.

Henry reappeared a moment later to pour chilled wine into their glasses. "I'll be out in a moment with your first course," he said, before nearly skipping off into the kitchen.

There was a familiar box resting on the empty plate in front Regina. Opening it, she smiled at the silver filigreed heart with a dark blue stone in the center. "And what's the reasoning behind this beautiful one?" she asked Emma.

"Because it was here at Granny's that you started opening up your heart to us," Emma answered. "Not just to me, but everyone. You came to that party even though you knew a lot of people would be upset. You came to family dinners even though the Charmings irritate the hell out of you."

"Just two of them," Regina corrected. "Their kids are pretty cute," she smirked.

Emma chuckled shyly. "Yeah, well... maybe you should babysit Neal more often. Charming, he is not"

Regina picked up her glass and sniffed the wine, smiling when she recognized her favorite from her own stock. She took a sip, staring at the blond over the rim of the glass.

Emma was fidgeting, tearing apart her paper napkin into tiny pieces. Regina set her glass back down on the table, the light reflecting off the bracelet on her wrist.

She loved it, more than words could say. Which is probably why she was struggling to find the right ones at the moment. Neither woman was good at expressing their feelings, choosing to show their affection through actions instead. But here, there was no out for her. She'd have to make do with her words.

"I love the bracelet," she said softly, spinning it around her wrist. "I can't tell you how much it means to me. All of it. The whole trip around town, everything." She tracked her gaze back to a blushing Emma. "But you didn't have to do any of it, because I love you, just for being you." Emma's eyes immediately snapped up to meet hers, her cheeks so red at this point they were almost purple. It was still hard for her to believe sometimes. "I know that sounds cheesy," Regina admitted, "but I do. As much as sometimes you annoy me to tears, and other times I can't decide if I want to strangle or kiss you."

Emma laughed, an odd, strangled sound in the akwardness. "Gee, thanks."

"And I apologize for my behavior earlier," Regina continued. "I should have never lost control like that." It was her turn to blush, and she looked back down at her bracelet. "But once again, you swooped in, and with complete idiotic typical-Charming disregard for your own safety, brought me back down to reality." She looked back up, meeting Emma's gaze once more. "Sometimes, I think maybe you weren't just meant to break the curse." The dancing candlelight was casting odd shadows across Emma's features, the flames accenting the golden curls that framed her face. It was an absolutely stunning picture to behold. "Sometimes I think you were meant to be my savior."

Emma was completely speechless, so it was perfect timing that Henry had arrived with their soup. Sensing an awkward parent moment, he dipped out of the room as fast as he could. Regina looked down and picked up her spoon, allowing Emma a moment to process.

Dinner progressed rather quietly, with conversation turning to the menu for the evening once Regina realized whose kitchen the food had definitely not come from.

"Well, when I knew I was going to make us miss our reservation at that fancy restaurant I literally reserved for us two years go, I called ahead and asked if they'd simply prepare us our meal to go," Emma explained, glad to have something less emotional to talk about. "I got the kid in on it, and Granny too. It wasn't so hard, since Ruby had wanted to go out with her latest fling, so she didn't mind closing up a little early for us. I guess, being the savior who's dating the mayor has its perks," she chuckled to herself, realizing just how true that statement actually was. "By the way, we have a Valentine's Day reservation there for like the next five years."

Regina smiled as she speared a mushroom with her fork. "Only five?" she asked.

Emma lifted a shoulder noncommittally. "They wouldn't let me reserve beyond that. Something about crashing their Windows 98 system. Man you really gotta get this town to embrace the new century," she shook her head shamefully. "But I think they were just worried about you sucking out my soul before then, perhaps as some sort of appetizer to feasting on the tears of small children. But I could be wrong, I don't speak French. He was probably just offering me free snails or something."

Regina's laugh filled the quiet room. "I bet people really do still think I snack on children while they dream or something."

"Hey!" Emma pointed her fork at her accusingly. "Romance movies are against the rules, that includes stealing quotes from them."

"Whatever are you talking about?" Regina asked all too innocently.

"Don't act like you didn't just steal that line from The Proposal. You're a closet Sandra Bullock junkie," she accused. "I found where you hid Miss Congeniality behind Henry's Star Wars collection months ago."

Regina lifted her hands in mock surrender. "You caught me. Arrest me for my crime against humanity, sheriff."

"Nah, I'll let this one slide," Emma said, finishing off her second glass of wine. "Unlike her, I'm not hiding my cuffs up my skirt." She smirked at the raised eyebrow she received, and didn't miss the mayor's quick glance down at her legs.

Henry reappeared to clear their dishes from the table, giving his moms a kiss on the side of the head before disappearing through the doors once more. Emma briefly wondered how much this little event was going to cost her in an allowance raise.

"Besides, I can totally see why you like her," Emma continued.

"Oh really?" Regina placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "Please, do explain, Ms. Swan."

"Because she can be a royal bitch when she wants to be," Emma stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, take The Proposal again, for instance. Her prissy, bitchy, bossy character was essentially _you_ through and through."

Regina dropped her hand to the table, looking thoroughly offended. "I may be a lot of things, but 'prissy' is not one of them!"

Emma sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, preparing for battle. "Oh yeah? How many pairs of jeans do you own, madam mayor?"

Regina mock glared at her. "One," she finally answered.

"You stole those from me, so they don't count."

Huffing, Regina turned sideways in her seat, pretending to avoid looking at the other woman. "You're completely insufferable."

"So I've been told," Emma grinned. "Just be lucky it's not a trait Henry inherited."

"Oh, thank God for that," Regina said haughtily. "He inherited enough of the Charming traits as it is. Like this sneakiness he pulled off tonight with you." She shook her head mournfully. "I don't know how I put up with you."

"Funny," Emma snickered. "That's exactly what Henry said earlier in the woods."

"Because he at least gets his good sense from me!" Regina shot back, but her face softened into a loving smile. "However… what you did tonight… regardless of how literally 'Charming' it was… it really was perfect, regardless of what a disaster it started out as. Thank you." She reached across the table for Emma's hand, giving it a light squeeze. In response, Emma entwined their fingers together and didn't let go.

"I want you to know," Emma started softly. "You do come first. Always. You and Henry are all that matter to me. Yeah, sometimes my job gets in the way. But in the end, if push came to shove, it wouldn't even be a decision for me. I'd ditch this town and everyone in it for you in a heartbeat."

Regina swallowed hard, refusing to let the tears that threatened to spill over fall. She cleared her throat and looked down at their entwined hands. "I suppose it's my turn for your gift." She said it so quietly it was almost a whisper. Lifting her free hand, a rolled up piece of parchment appeared in her palm. She handed it across the table to her girlfriend. "Speaking of proposals..." She bit her bottom lip and looked shyly away.

Momentarily letting their hands separate, Emma unrolled the parchment in front of her. It was hand written in ink, the writing in some sort of old English script. Her lips moved as she read over the words with some struggle, the spelling and phrasing a bit odd. She got to the second line and her eyebrows knitted together. " _Princess" Emma? For real?_

Regina fastened her gaze on the ground, her jaw clenched, unsuccessfully trying to keep the blush from her cheeks. She refused to look at the blonde as she read. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest and she worked to keep her breathing normal.

Emma got to the end of the scroll where she could see two signatures: her parents, using their royal Enchanted Forest names. She stared at the paper, reading it several times again before looking back up at the woman across from her. "Is… is this…" She glanced back down at the parchment, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

Regina cleared her throat, still staring hard at the floor. "It's a royal consent to marry," she managed to choke out. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears, and briefly, hoped she wouldn't pass out. She clenched her fists tight against any possible accidental sparks.

Emma looked up and stared at her, her mouth hanging wide open in shock. "I don't understand," she somehow managed to say.

Taking a deep breath, Regina managed to turn and halfway look at her. Her gaze made it as far as the parchment laid out on the table. "Back where we come from, in the Enchanted Forest… women born into royalty had to have written consent to marry."

It was official; she was going to pass out.

"Regina?"

Emma gazed at the woman across from her, and for a moment, her heart stopped beating. She had never seen the woman so red in her life. Her chest was heaving, and her hands kept clenching and unclenching. Her eyes, behind chocolate brown, glowed a pale violet and refused to meet her gaze.

Standing up, Emma walked around the table and cupped the woman's face in her hands. Forcing Regina to look at her, she gave her a reassuring smile.

"I, _Princess Emma_ ," she added sarcastically, a hint of disgust at the title in her voice. "accept your proposal."

The violet disappeared from brown eyes, along with the rush of the breath she had been holding. A hesitant smile played across the queen's lips. "That's… not quite how it works. But I'll take it," she said, before grabbing Emma's shirt and pulling her closer to meet her lips with hers.

A bright flash interrupted the moment, and they both pulled away to glare at their son.

"What?" he asked, pretending to be dense. He held up his phone for them to see. "I'm just posting to instagram that there's going to be a royal wedding."

"Henry," Regina warned, using her best scary mom voice.

"I'm joking," he admitted. "But I can't wait to tell grandma. Are you guys done here? Cause like, it's totally past her bedtime, and I don't want to have to wake her up when I get there."

Taking the hint, Emma turned her gaze back to Regina. "Yeah, kid. I think we're done here."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It was well past 2 am when Regina collapsed in Emma's arms. Breathing heavy, she laid her head on Emma's shoulder, wrapping her body around her like a limpet.

"Are you okay?" Emma chuckled, running her hand up her bare back in soothing circles.

"Perfect," Regina responded.

She wasn't quite sure how long they laid there in comfortable silence, Regina listening to Emma's heartbeat under her ear, and Emma writing secret message words over her skin.

Inevitably, it was Emma who broke the silence. "Regina?" she asked quietly.

"Hmmm?" her lover, her _fiancée_ she mentally corrected, hummed in response.

"Will you promise not to kill my mom during this whole wedding thing? Cause you know she's going to literally lose her shit."

Emma felt, rather than heard the laughter. "Sorry, Savior, I can make no such promises."

Emma released a dramatic sigh. "Then can we, like, just skip the wedding and elope?"

Regina only laughed harder. "Oh, no dear. Your mom will want to have a full royal ball and everything."

Emma groaned and slapped Regina on her ass. "Knock it off. If she even mentions a royal ball, I'll kill her myself."

That did nothing to stop the laughter that was quickly turning into hysterical giggles. At this point, Emma could feel the tears dripping on to her shoulder.

"She'll… she'll make you wear… a tiara… and a big, hideously poofy white gown…" Regina managed to get out between gasps for air.

Emma glared at the ceiling. "And what, might I ask, would the Queen be required to wear to such a ball?"

Regina suddenly went quietly still, obviously contemplating the question.

"You're right. I'll probably kill her."

XXXXXXXXX

The end.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Please, do leave me an honest review. I've started another fic for this fandom (that may end up tying to this one), but I'd prefer to know if it's even worth the effort! There are so many good writers in this fandom, I'm not sure if my writing style is anyone's cup of tea. Thanks :)**


End file.
